The Scriptural Rosary

The  Holy Rosary is a beautiful prayer, with great graces poured upon those who pray it. Ever since it was given to us by St. Dominic in 1214, the Church has urged us to pray this profoundly meditative prayer, a journey through the Bible through the eyes of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As always, Mary points to Jesus, Our Blessed Saviour, and His message to us is none other than that of God’s plan of Salvation for Mankind. Surely we would be foolish not to listen and heed it?

In all the Blessed Virgin’s apparitions through the centuries, she has urged us to devoutly pray the Holy Rosary, with great promises and joys attached to those who do. And yet there are many who complain that they find the praying of the Rosary “difficult”, or “too repetitive”, or even “monotonous”! It may well be so for those who do not know its meaning, so these criticisms perhaps show a lack of understanding of the underlying biblical base of the prayer.

“To help make meditations on these mysteries most fruitful, contemplating the words of Holy Scripture enables us to visualise the events and appreciate the truths contained in the words and actions as they were recorded for our instruction. Each mystery occurs in a larger context. The gospels provide the important information that leads to and/or follows after the event portrayed by the name of the mystery. Considering the preliminary and subsequent events helps form a greater appreciation of the depth in each occurrence. Some mysteries are very briefly described in the gospels and need to be understood together with related material to develop a more complete perspective. Thus, praying the rosary while using the associated Scriptures as the basis for our meditations offers profound insights into their meaning and importance for our lives. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John offer different accounts of many of the same historical events. Therefore, the combined use of these sources of “good news” gives a more thorough description of the work of God through Jesus and in Mary and its implications in our own lives.” (From Renewal Ministries).

Becoming distracted whilst praying the Rosary is something most of us have had to confront, at least on occasions, and sometimes quite often! Each mystery is rich and deep, but whilst we try to pray and concentrate on them, repeating the Hail Mary at the same time, our minds can easily wander elsewhere if we are not careful. So many mundane thoughts crowd in on us, especially if we are particularly worried or preoccupied about something, or if we are visually or audibly distracted by things going on around us.

That is why the ‘Scriptural Rosary’ (reading a verse from Scripture before each Hail Mary), while it may take a little longer, can be a great aid to us in keeping our hearts and minds concentrated on the mysteries. It will therefore become a wonderful benefit to ourselves and our intentions, and for all those for whom we are praying.

Michael Voris explain this in his video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK3_3nQqPYc&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL91feG5gFxM8goAO9Q-I5XRhE78k_U7pG

For those who would prefer to read the verses, look in this PDF.

This is the Scriptural Rosary from the EWTN audio library: http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=504&T1=scriptural+rosary